This week's playlist highlights Katy Perry, Cassie, and Lianne La Havas.

The B-Sides Letter

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See past issues of The B-Sides on the blog or follow the composite playlist on Spotify:

Composite B-Sides Playlist

Chained to the Rhythm.

Katy Perry’s newest single. A catchy dance song that you wiggle your butt to before realize that it's making fun of you for wiggling your butt. Reminding us that we are each “stumbling around like a wasted zombie” as we consume mainstream-ness. See music vid here.

Katy worries that we are all “So comfortable, we live in a bubble / So comfortable, we cannot see the trouble.” But considering how "Turn it up / it's your favorite song / Dance, dance, dance" is the most instagrammed lyric of the song, it's definitely trolling you and you're not picking up on it.

(Oh no, of course I don't mean you! You've subscribed to a pop culture / social commentary newsletter - you can't be subtweeted like a common hamster [see: the lyric video].)

Part I: I love this song. I think it's actually pretty solid and fun. I also think it's incredibly important for celebrities to acknowledge the homogenizing forces they perpetuate. This feels especially true for pop musicians, who can develop their own voices in their art more than other public artists (like actors) can. With that ability/flexibility comes responsibility, at least in theory.

This song reminds me of when Taylor Swift publicly called out Apple Music for not paying artists fairly. Apple Music wasn’t paying royalties to artists when users streamed their music during free trials, and Taylor wrote an open letter to Apple demanding they do better. Both Katy and Taylor were using their public platform to comment on the status quo in their industry, calling for significant changes to be made.

Katy is definitely trying to craft her lefty persona and I’m happy for her. She calls this song “purposeful pop” and showed up to the Grammy’s in a white pantsuit that had “Persist” written on it. Considering she began her career as a Christian spiritual singer, it’s a pretty amazing to witness the blossoming of her unapologetically progressive public persona. "I think we are largely in desperate need of revolutionary change in the way our mindset is,” she told Rolling Stone back in 2011. “I say this knowing full well that I'm a part of the problem. I'm playing the game, though I am trying to reroute.”

Part II: I fcking hate this song. YEAH YOU'RE PLAYING THE GAME, KATY. Who the eff are you to tell me I’m a zombie, when you’re producing pop song after pop song that sound like they could be anyone’s music? Your fan base is comprised of these zombies. You love them, and you love their money. The conformist dystopia you describe in your song is precisely what pop music represents for many people who are critical of you and the pop music machine.

Taylor turned her feigned concern for the little man into an incredibly lucrative contract with Apple Music. Just like her contracts with Comcast, iHeartRadio, and Target before. And by partnering with Apple Music, and still not with Spotify, she helps Apple get a monopoly in yet another industry (the industry of Taylor) (and music). Not to mention that she totally might have voted for 45 (although I still have faith she didn't...I just have to believe she didn't).

Part III: Holding two truths in one hand. OK OK OK I have a complicated relationship with pop music, if you haven’t picked up on that yet.

The B-Sides Playlist #3

Bonus: "Chained to the Rhythm," Katy Perry - I broke my 10-song rule so that you can read the newsletter and listen to the song with greater ease <3 Yr welcome.

"King of Hearts," Cassie - Still love her big hit "Me & U" from the early aughts and this one is gold, too. Cassie - whenever the world is ready for you to be a pop princess, I'll be here.

"Make Me (Cry)," Noah Cyrus, Labrinth - Sophie M. suggested this song (thx!!), and it was already on the playlist because it's blowing up right now. (So much so that Liz H. really does NOT think it qualifies as a B-Side and she may be right.) IDK about you but I am excited about alt-Miley's budding career. Here's hoping this sister act turns out more Solange than Ali Lohan.

"Drew Barrymore," SZA - SZA is, among many other wonderful things, the voice that join's Rihanna's in "Consideration" from RiRi's last album. SZA had gone through a ton of terrible events in the years before coming out with this album. She took inspiration from Drew Barrymore, whose early rise to fame was marked with scary and dangerous times, but ultimately Drew became happy and successful. John Noire writes about the song, "Drew Barrymore’s life is a great example for women who accept their mistakes as part of the journey and carry on unapologetically." And bonus: Drew herself LOVES the song!

Zoey 101's little brother?

Great q, I haven't thought about him in years!

His name is Paul Butcher, and he is now a hottie and a singer. And, according to MTV News, "Zoey 101 star Paul Butcher’s new song has a powerful message." So, lol.

If you've been keeping up w the Remy Ma / Nicki Minaj fued, I hope you've heard Nicki's answer to Remy's diss track. She released "Regret In Your Tears" and I love it. It's unsurprisingly awesome, but surprisingly chill. Keeps her on higher ground IMHO. What do you think?

Logan B. says:

"I think Hannah should be more honest about how her knowledge of basketball players and sports figures."

Ok Logan you are right. You're also my boyfriend, and so you know that I actually do know who Steph Curry is, even though I acted like I didn't in the last letter. #Caught #Whoops

Rebecca E. shares:

"Twitter rec: @AudreLordeLorde"

AND IT'S AS AMAZING AS IT SOUNDS.

Molly W. shares:

"I like 'Chained to the Rhythm' because I can dance at a party and think about how capitalism is screwing us over at the same time!"

Sounds about right. This is, like, the story of The B-Sides. Uch I need to lie down. (Molly also recommends watching the music vid [link above] because there's some more explicit social commentary in there about the US and our past/present/future.)

Alright everyone. What do you think about this week's letter? What confuses you about pop music? What is your favorite underrated pop song? Why is Rita Ora so underrated? Etc.

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